Staff Member: Becky Smith

Staff Member: Becky Smith

BeckySmith

I have been the Business Manager here at St. Matthew since May 2004. I have been a parishioner over 21 years.

I grew up in the Protestant faith and in my early college days belonged to a fundamentalist Bible church. I decided to take Catholic instruction, while still in college, when I met my future spouse as he was Catholic, and I wanted us to be the same faith, but I had no intention of converting. As I was a fairly anti-Catholic fundamentalist, I needed special attention as the group meetings at the Spokane Chancery were not working for me. An elderly priest offered private instruction for me along with marriage prep for me and my future spouse. I remember this priest talking about what Catholics believed, and I actually told him he wasn’t correct. This priest must have prayed long and hard for me as one day it all “clicked”. I have been Catholic ever since!

I am a CPA and owned my own practice for over 15 years when I had a life crisis. Every day for three months I went into our Adoration Chapel and cried and cried. I was very angry with God as I thought He had abandoned me. I didn’t think I could trust Him or anyone else again. I thought about leaving the Catholic faith. I thought about where I would go. I could become Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, but what I kept coming back to was Jesus in the Eucharist. None of these other religions had Jesus in the Eucharist. One day in the chapel, I decided to stay Catholic and told Jesus that I needed to trust someone, and since I needed to trust someone, I would trust Him. From that point on, with Jesus at my side, I started to heal from my life crisis.

At the same time as I was going through my life crisis, St. Matthew Parish was looking for a Business Manager. Many people told me that I should apply for the position, but I told them I did not want to apply. One person specifically told me she was saying special prayers to Mary that I would get the position. To appease them, I told them that if Jesus wanted me to have the position, I would have it, but I wasn’t applying for it. As I was a CPA, I was chosen to be on the hiring committee. After all the interviews were complete, the CPA from the Archdiocese turned to me and asked if I would consider taking the position. Well, after much praying and consideration, I decided to sell my CPA practice and become the Business Manager at St. Matthew Parish. It has been a wonderful experience!

St. Matthew Parish has many wonderful parishioners that were there for me during my life crisis. I have met many more as Business Manager. At this point in my life, this is where Jesus wants me. Jesus is my Redeemer, love, confidante, and best friend. I love Him and His Church! I now know He will never leave me, and I beg Jesus to never let me leave Him! God bless St. Matthew Parish.